The Milestone Protocol by Ernest Dempsey (best books to read in your 20s txt) 📕

He imagined his parents were sick over his and Corin’s disappearance. Diego set his jaw and resolved to himself that, while his mother and stepdad were probably freaking out at the moment, the decision to go with Tara and Alex was the right one. For all he knew, there were agents at his house too. That last thought sobered him even more, and he had to fight not to panic about his own parents being interrogated.

Lights blinked in and out through the trees, distracting Diego from his paranoia. He and the others looked out through the windows at the cabin as the car looped around the last curve and entered the clearing.

A man and woman stood on the porch watching the Camaro approach. The man wore a flannel shirt. His thick, bushy brown beard and matching hair made him look like the Brawny paper towel guy. The woman, with shoulder-length auburn hair, an overcoat, and jeans with work boots, looked like she had just come in from a day on the farm, or hunting in the woods.

They both smiled welcomingly as Tara stopped the car and killed the growling engine.

She and Alex opened their doors and pulled the seats forward to let the children out of the back.

“Hey, guys,” the woman greeted warmly. “Y’all come on in out of the cold.”

“You really did bring three kids with you,” Joe said. There was a hint of disbelief in his voice.

“Did you think we were kidding?” Alex chirped.

“No. I suppose not.” Joe turned his attention to the three kids. Each clutched a brown paper bag from the burger place in one hand. “You know, we could have fed them here. You didn’t have to get them fast food.”

“I didn’t want to impose,” Tara admitted.

“That’s mighty nice of you,” Helen said. “But you’re never imposing, Tara. You know better than that. Now, don’t make me tell y’all twice. Get on inside and get warmed up by the fire.”

The three kids were struck at the same time by the scent of the wood fire burning in the hearth as smoke from the chimney drifted down and around the cabin before seeping into the woods to linger like a morning fog.

The group followed the couple inside and hung their coats on a rack next to the door. Helen stood momentarily by the fire and then stepped aside, inviting the kids to warm themselves by the hearth.

“I have some water on to boil to make hot chocolate if you guys want some,” she said. All three kids nodded. So did Alex.

“My name is Helen McElroy,” their hostess said. She motioned to the door where her husband stood locking the deadbolt. “This here is Joe, but everyone calls him Mack.”

“Why do they call you—” Desmond cut himself off before he finished. “Oh, McElroy. Got it.”

Mack nodded at him. “You got it.”

Helen made her way into the kitchen just in time to snag the kettle before it started whistling.

“Thanks for letting us hang out for a while,” Tara said to Mack. “We really appreciate it.”

“Don’t mention it,” Mack replied. “You’re more than welcome, and we’re happy to help.” He hung his coat on the rack with the others. The brass fixture looked like it was about to collapse under the weight of all the outerwear. “So, tell me. What happened that got y’all so spooked?”

He ambled into the living room and plopped down on a leather chair, crossed one leg over his knee, and picked up a coffee mug with steam pluming out of it.

Alex took a seat on the matching leather couch. Tara joined him in the middle position.

“Several months ago, a bunch of agents came into the IAA building demanding to see a sample of Quantium we’d procured.”

“The new element you guys were looking into,” Mack clarified.

“Yes. These agents, if you can call them that, were trying to take it off our hands. Fortunately, we have measures in place to hide things that are…sensitive.”

Mack rubbed his beard as he listened. In the kitchen, sounds of water being poured into mugs echoed throughout the room. It was followed closely by the clinking of a spoon on ceramic as Helen stirred the cocoa.

“This was the second time a group like that burst into our building,” Tara said, picking up the story. “Different agents, though, and they didn’t bother with formalities. They went right past Sarah and straight to the elevator leading to the basement.”

“How did they know the access code?” Mack asked. He knew the security of the building well. He and his wife had been working for the IAA in the field division for several years. While they only occasionally checked into HQ, they understood the inner workings and all the security measures in place.

“Not sure,” Tara said. “The second we saw them approaching, we knew there would be trouble. We initiated our security protocols and left through the emergency exit in the lab.”

“And no one saw you?” Helen asked, appearing in the living room with four mugs of steaming hot chocolate. She gracefully set down one of the mugs next to Alex and then carried the others over to the three children standing by the fire. They all thanked her and made their way over to a table in the corner next to the kitchen, happy to dip out of the serious conversation for a few minutes.

“No. We don’t think so,” Alex answered. “And before you ask, we weren’t followed either. At least not by a visible tail.”

“So, you think they could be tracking you?” Mack posed.

“Possibly, but the Camaro doesn’t have any electronics on it. No GPS, satellite radio, nothing modern. It’s a pure classic.”

Mack smiled approvingly. “It’s definitely that,” he agreed.

“Still,” Tara said, “we should take every precaution, just in case they were able to follow us somehow.”

“We do have help on the way,” Alex announced. “I sent a message to a new friend of ours. Said he would be here within an hour, and that was nearly a half hour ago.”

“New friend?” Helen